Lewis w



L. W. EGGLESTON.'

111611051111. APPLICATION FIL-ED APR.I5.1918.

' UNITED STATESPATENT j oEEIoE.

LEWIS W. EGGLEsToN, oE BUFFALO, NEW YORK, AssIGNoR To AMERICAN RADIATOR e coi/IrANY or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CoRPoRATIoN or NEW JERSEY.

HYeRosTAT.

T @Zi/ zei/iam it may concern: l

Be it known that I, LEWIS W. EcoLEs'roN, a citizen ofthe United States, 'residingat Buffalo, Erie county, in the State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful AImprovements in Hygrostats', of which the following is a full, clear, :and exact-specifi'-'v cation. This'invention relates toimprovements 1n hygrostats, and has for its objectto provide a device of this character which. is simple. in construction and which' is 'quickly re` sponsive to slight variationsin the humidity of the air Within the compartment in which it is installedgjl f. l

l Further, thein'vention hasfor itsfobject to provide a devicegof this character, the

` operation of which will not bel aifectedfby ingair. f Further, the invention has for itsy object Ito provide a device `of this character adapted 'I to control the electric circuits of anelectro i sired degree of humidity.vr

magnetically operated device, located at any desired place, and controlling the admission of moisture from a humidifier intothe com-1 -partment Furtlien the invention has for its object lto provide a device of this character which may be readily adjusted .toadapt it to maintain the air inthe compartment at any de- Other ob'ects will in part be obvious and in partbe pointed out hereinafter.

"lo the attainment ofthe aforesaid objects and ,ends my invention consists inthe novel details of construction, and in the combination, connection and arrangement of parts` hereinafter more fully. described and then pointed out inthe claims. f

tion- Y r Figure 1' is a front view of a hygrostat constructed according to, and embodying the invention;

f Fig. .2 is a side elevational view'thereof;`

Fig. 3' is 'a 'detail view of the controlling# y means which .is responsive vto the humidity of' the compartment g Fig. i is a sectionalvview taken on the line 1fi of Figsl and 2;

`Fig. 5 is a` sectional view'taken substantially on the line 5 5 of Fig.

changes in the temperature ofthe surroundi Fig. isa sectional view taken substan tial'ly on the line 6-'6 of Fig. 1;

ltially on the line 7 7 of Fig. 1,and

F ig. 8 is a sectional view taken substan tially on the line 8-.8 of Fig. v'2'.

. `In order to maintain the-humidity of the air in a heated compartment ata' predeterySpecieation' of Letters Patent. Patented Get., 21, 1919. .inclination fiiedAprn 15, 191s. i

'-7 F ig. `7 is a. sectional view taken substan- I mined,. de sired degree, it is the practice to provide `a humid1fy-ing device to supply moisture tothe compartment as' the humidity. ofthe air therein decreases owing to the Vheating thereof. The admissionr vof moisture from the humidifying device into the 'compartment is ordinarily controlled by a valve'or the like, the opening and closingl of which' is, fin turn, controlledby a hygrostatin'stalled within the compartment and responsive to variations inthe humidity of the air therein. It is 'customary to operate the valve'by means of an electrically-operated mechanism, in which case the hygrostat .isadapted to' control electric circuits,

the closing of which will cause the' electrically-operated mechanism to ,open or close the valve. While the hygrostat forming the subject matter of this vinvention is pr imarily intended for ilse in systems of the above described type, it is ofcourse` understood that it is adapted for use in any` system in which the'operation of any device is to be controlled lby an instrument responsive to variations inthe humidity of the air surrounding-'the same.

Referring to the drawing, the hygrostat is shown as comprising a hollow metal base 10, .having supported thereon, adjacent'its lower end a pivot-pin 11. Oscillatingly supported upon) the pivot-pin 11 is a contact arm 'having ya 'yolreshaped end portion 12 to 'which is secured as b -a screw 13 one a y a end of a metal bar 1e. The free .end of the bar 14 plays between two contact members 15, 16, carried by'binding Aposts -17, 18

mounted upon and insulatedgfrom the base 10, adjacent the upper end thereof. Se

cured to the inner wallof the base 1'0 is a binding post 19 which is in electricalcon I iecti-on with the barkrof the contact arm -through the `base 10, the pivot-pin 11, and the yoke-shaped end portion 12 ofthe arm.l

Electrical 'conductors 20, 2l vand 22, con-A nected to the binding posts 17, 18"and 19 respectively, pass through an opening 2 3' 10er i formed in the wall of the base 10 and are connected to a suitable electro-magnetically .operated valve, not. shown, which controls the discharge ot moisture from the humidiier into the compartment in which the hygrostat is installed. l

Secured to the yoke-shaped end portion 12 of the contactarm, by the screw 13, is a bracket 24 carrying anadjustable screw 25 having a central bore within which is rotatably positioned a member 26 having a head 27 at its lower' end, engaging a recess 23 formed in thehead of the screw 25, and having a Ihook 29 at its upper end. it spring 30 has one ot' yits ends connected to the hook 29, at the upper end ot the rotatable member 26. The other end oi'l the spring 30 is connected to a hook 31v secured to a metal bar 32, havingl its lower end attached to the base 10, and having its upper, ree Vend secured to an arm 33 pivotally mounted upon the base 10. rthe bar 3:2 is made of a metal ,having apo-efficient of eX- pansion, differing from -thator' the metal of which the base 10 is made, whereby the bar 32 and base 10 will constitute compensating means for preventing the instrument from beingaifected by any changes'in tempera- Y ture within the compartment in which the instrument is installed. 1n) practice it has been found'that the desired result will be ,obtained it' the base 10 is ormedoie brass and the bar 32 of steel.

rlhe arm 33 is provided, adjacent'its free end, With an eye 34 through which pass a plurality of strands 35 of a substance, such as human hair, adapted to vary in length as the humidity oi the air, to which it is eX- posed, varies. As is well known, human hair increases in length as it becomes moist,

anddecreases in length las it becomesv dry.

The tree ends of the strands 35 are secured, by a clamp 3 6, to one end of a.lever 37' pivotally supportedupon the pivot-pin11, intermediate the arms of the yoke-shaped end portion'12 of the contact arm. rl`he other end ot the lever 37 engages the head ot a screw 33, the. shank of which passes through aslot 39 in the lever 37 and adj ustably supported by the bracket 521i.

In practice, the screws 25 and 33 are so adjusted that the tension of the spring 30 will be balanced by the tension of the strands of hair- 35, thereby n'iaintaining the free end of the bar le o1" the contact 'arm intermediate the contacts 15 and 16, when the air Withinrthe compartment vin which the instrument'is installed is of' the desired hir-v midity. Should the humidity in the compartmentdecrease, the strands ot hair 35A will shorten, thereby moving the contact- 'compartment increases, owing to the introduction of'the moisture therein, the strands 35 will gradually lengthen and the spring 30 willl thereupon actuate the contact arm to move the 'free end of the rod 14; out of engagement with `the contact 16. Upon the humidity in the air increasing beyond the predetermined desired value, the tree end of theV arm` 14C will be moved, by the spring 30, into engagement with the contact 15, there by closing the electric circuit through the conductors 20' and 21, whereupon the electro-magneticvalve will be closedto prevent the passage oit moisture into the compartment. The contact arm will be returned 'to its normall position when the humidity ol:l the air falls to the desired value, and will remainin such normal position until the itwill be understood that the operationof the instrument will in no way be affected by changes in temperaturewithin the compartment in which it is installed.

Having thus described my. said invention what l claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. A hygrostat comprising a movable member normally .occupying a ,neutral or inoperative vposition, 'means responsive to variations of moisture in the air to move said member inone direction, means acting independently of the moisture 'oifmoving said member in the opposite direction, and means for adjusting each of said means toy hold said member in its neutral position for any desired degree of moisture in the air, substantially as specified.

2. A hygrostat comprising a support, a movable member mounted thereon and adapted to be moved in a plurality of' directions, an eXpansiblev and contracti-b-le bar having one of its ends secured to said support, and means4 operatively connected to said movable member and to said bar for moving said movable member in either direction, substantially .as specified.

3. A hygrostat comprising a support, al movable member mounted thereon, an eX- pansible and contractible bar having one of its ends secured to said support, means operatively connected to said movable member and to said bar for moving said mow 4. A hygrostat able member in one direction, and means operativelyconnected to said movable member and to said bar for moving said movable -member in the opposite direction, substantially a's specified.

' movable member mounted thereon, an eX- 4pansible and oontractible bar having one of its ends secured to said support, meansoperatively connected to said movable mem- Aber and to said bar and responsive to variy ations of moisture in the air for moving said movable member in;y one direction, and means s operatively' connected to said movable 'mem ber and to said bar and acting independently of the moisture inthe air for' moving said movable memberA in the opposite-direca tion, substantially as specied. v

5. A hygrostat comprising a. support', a movable member mounted thereon, 'an eX- pansible and contractible bar having lone of its ends secured `to said support, hygrosco ic means operatively connected t o said mova v le 'member and tol said bar for movingsaid movable member` in one direction, and elastic means operatively connected to said movable member and to said bar' for moving said movable member in 'the opposite direction,

substantially as specified. v

6. A hygrostat comprising va support, a movable member mounted thereon, an eX- pansible and contractible` bar having one of its ends secured to said support,'hygro scopic means operatively connected to said movable member and to said bar for moving said movable memberin onev direction, and a spring operatively connected to said movable member and to saidvhar for moving said movable member in the opposite direction,'substantially as specified; 1 f, Y

7. A liygrostatcomprising a support, a movable member mounted thereon, an ,arm pivotally secured `to said-support, an expansibleand contractible bar 'having one yof its ends secured to said support and its other end secured to said arm, means secured .to said arm and to said movable member to move the latter in one direction, and KVmeans secured 'to'said bar and toA said movable member to move the latterl in the opposite direction, substantially as specified.

8.,A hygrostat comprising Aa support, a movable member mounted thereon, an arm pivotally secured to said support, an excomprising a support, a

tantially specified.

pansible and oontractible bar having one of its ends. secured to said support and its other end secured 'to said arm intermediate the ends thereof, means secured to thepfree end of said arm and to said movable 'inemberto move the latter in one direction, vand means secured to said bar and to said movable member to move the latter in the opposite direction, substantially as speeiiied.,

9. A hygrostat comprising an .expansible and contractible support, a movable member mounted thereon, an expansible and contractible bar having one of itsends secured to said support, said bar having a coeicient of 'expansion differing from that of vsaid support, and means `operatively connected to said movable member and tov said bar ,to control the movement of saidv member, suby I 11. A hygrostat comprising a metal supf port, a movable member mounted thereon,

an arm pivotally secured to said support, a metalfbar having one of its ends secured to said support and its other end secured to said arm, said metal bar having a coefiicient of expansion different vfrom that of said end of said.4 arm and to said movable member to move' the latter in one direction, and means secured to said bar and to said movable' member to move the latter in the opposite direction, substantially as specified.

Signed yat the city or' Buffalo, Erie county, in the State of 1New York, this 14th day of March, one thousand nine hundred and eighteen.

Liivvis W.:nGeLiis'roN.

Witnesses: i

FRANK B. HOWELL,

W. 'SoHoENBnnNiin metal support, means secured to the freey 

